


One Wild Little Dog and Spartacus's Pack

by SubtextEquals



Series: Welcome to the Family [2]
Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-18
Updated: 2014-12-18
Packaged: 2018-03-02 02:22:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2796200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SubtextEquals/pseuds/SubtextEquals
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having just gone through a break up and his friends severing all ties with him, Nasir is convinced things can't any better. Being stabbed seems to confirm it-- that is until a man called Spartacus takes him under his wing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Wild Little Dog and Spartacus's Pack

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prequel to One Apartment, Two Brothers, and Nasir, but can be read as either first or as a stand alone.
> 
> Nasir's characterization at first is more like the "Tiberius" we saw during the episode he was introduced.
> 
> There are some references to past Nasir/Castus, which didn't end so well.

Nasir wasn’t going to say that he hated his life right now. He wasn’t that dramatic or depressed. But he could say for a fact that it sucked ass. He was hoping that he could drink a beer or two and just relax for a bit. But without his smooth talking now ex boyfriend to get him alcohol without getting carded, he was shit out of luck.

Nasir didn’t know what the worst part of breaking up with Castus was, losing out on some amazing sex, losing someone who he thought understood him, or losing the friends he’d made when they’d all chosen Castus’s side and excluded him from everything else.

He put it from his mind as he walked down the street in the late evening. He’d wandered downtown for a bit but he couldn’t distract himself.

“Fuck Castus,” he muttered half a second before a hand clamped around his arm and dragged him into the alley he was just about to pass.

Nasir struggled immediately, trying to wrench his arm from his assailant and his other hand shot out to hit the man but halted when he felt a knife press against his stomach.

“I don’t want trouble,” The mugger said. He was masked and Nasir couldn’t recognize his voice. His build outmatched Nasir’s and he was a full five inches taller than him.

So it was safe to say that Nasir’s life was about to suck a lot more.

“You’re going to have trouble if you’re going to fuck with me.” Nasir glared directly at the man’s eyes.

“Don’t be stupid. Give me your wallet and you can walk away.”

Nasir’s wallet? Yeah, he could do that and then end up on the streets when he couldn’t pay his rent or starve because he couldn’t buy any food.

“I’m not giving it and you’re not taking it.” Then, before the mugger could react, Nasir grabbed his wrist and tried to snap it. At the same he kicked the man directly in the groin.

The man staggered, even if he didn’t release his knife. “I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

In hindsight, Nasir should have used the chance to run. He should have gotten away. The guy was on his knees but he was still armed. But Nasir felt the rage boil the reason from him and he grabbed the guy’s hair to knee his face.

He got shoved back before he could do more than seize his hair.

“You’re gonna die!”

Nasir threw out his arms to grab the man and hold him back but the mugger’s reach was too long.

The knife went in between Nasir’s ribs. He gasped as the air rushed out of his lungs and pain spread its arms across his chest as if it were death offering an embrace. One he refused to take yet as he punched the face of the man who had probably just killed him. But the blow was feeble and didn’t knock him back at all.

Nasir was still gasping and watched as the mugger and now murderer pulled his arm back to strike his neck. Nasir just barely got his hands up in time to grip his arm. He could see the knife gleaming, coming closer to his neck even as he struggled to hold him back.

He was so focused on the knife and his impending death as he envisioned the blood flowing from his throat that he didn’t notice anyone else coming toward him until another man got his arm around the mugger’s neck, and hauled him away.

Nasir clutched his ribs as soon as the knife was away. He fell to the ground, rolling from his side and onto his back. He watched as his rescuer bashed the mugger’s head back against the wall of a building repeatedly until he dropped the knife, then shoved the guy to the ground.

He turned back. Nasir barely noticed his features, dark blond, blue eyes, good build. He might find him good looking if he weren’t bleeding out from a stab wound and barely able to breathe.

“Hold on.” The man came over to him and pulled out a cell phone to dial 911.

The man crouched beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder. Nasir didn’t listen as he rattled off what had happened and their location.

After a moment he tried to push Nasir’s hand, the one covering the wound, away. Nasir flailed, trying to wrestle his hand away but the movement was weak.

“Relax, I need to put some pressure on it so you can save your strength.”

Nasir grunted, then finally pulled his hand away. More blood flowed from the wound before the stranger pressed his palm over it and held it down.

“Can you speak? What’s your name?”

“Nasir,” he rasped.

“Nasir what?”

Nasir tried to speak again but all that came out was a gurgling noise and he shook his head.

“I’m Spartacus.”

Nasir just looked at him.

“Yeah, I know. It’s complicated.”

There was a groan behind them and Spartacus glanced back as the mugger stirred. “Hold on.” He placed Nasir’s hand over his and slid it out from under him. Then he got up and gave the mugger a solid kick.

“Do you have family you’d like me to call?” Spartacus asked casually, as if he hadn’t just finished incapacitating someone with his foot.

Nasir shook his head.

“Anyone else?”

Another shake of the head.

Spartacus nodded. He glanced at the mugger, gave him one last kick, and sat down beside Nasir again. He got his hand back on him.

“You’ll make it. It’s not bad and the ambulance is on its way. They’ll arrest the man.”

Then there was silence save for Nasir’s wheezing. He was grateful that Spartacus didn’t start asking questions or telling him he’d be all right. They were just quiet until they heard the sirens approach and Spartacus left to wave them down.

As the paramedics came and shoved a mask on him, Nasir wondered if he was going to die. He wondered if Spartacus would be the only one who cared.

 

Nasir passed out in the ambulance. When he awoke he could barely open his eyes. He still had the oxygen mask. His throat was sore and he had a tube in his chest.

Some nurse asked him how his pain was. He said he was fine. Who knew how much they were going to charge him if he used up their morphine supply or whatever they’d put him on. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, only waking when the doctor came to talk to him, told him his condition and explained what he had done, and asked him if he had anyone to look after him during his recovery.

Nasir made a hoarse laughing sound that caused him to wince..

After that the police wanted to talk to him. He ended up scrawling a few things down on paper. And then he rested.

 

“Hey, Nasir.” That was the woman he shared his room with while he recovered. “You have a visitor.”

“Castus?” But when Nasir opened his eyes he didn’t see his ex boyfriend’s dark eyes looking back at him, as he hadn’t for the past two weeks. Instead it was Spartacus. “Hi.” He wished he didn’t sound vaguely disappointed but then his brow furrowed. “What are you doing here?”

“Checking on you.” Spartacus stepped inside the room and sat down on a chair by the foot of Nasir’s bed.

“Why?” Nasir couldn’t help but be suspicious. Was he trying to take advantage of him because he was vulnerable?

“I did save your life. That counts for something.”

“Yeah, well it doesn’t have to.” His eyes narrowed. “Are you expecting something in return?”

“No,” Spartacus replied.

“Jesus,” his hospital roommate said. “No wonder you haven’t had any visitors.”

“You’re not involved in this,” Nasir snarled. He looked back at Spartacus and found him.

Spartacus had a wry smile on his face. “I know a lot of people who would like you.”

Nasir paused at that. He wished he didn’t. He wished he wasn’t temped. But he was. After two weeks of silence from his former friends and ex, he was craving something that wasn’t the polite but distant smile of a customer or someone yelling at him for some mix up that wasn’t his fault.

“And you’re one of them?” There was still skepticism in his voice.

“Yes, I am.”

Nasir watched him for a moment. The man had saved his life. “I’ll have to learn more about you then.”

 

Spartacus kept visiting-- and sneaking in junk food. Nasir expected the same that day. He didn’t get it.

“Hey.” The voice wasn’t Spartacus’s and when Nasir turned to look at him his eyes confirmed that he didn’t know this man. He was bulkier than Spartacus with dark hair and green eyes and damn he was tall. If Nasir were feeling better, he’d probably want to lick him.

“Wrong room,” Nasir said.

“You’re Nasir.” It wasn’t a question but a statement and Nasir, who had just looked away, turned his gaze back on the man again.

“Who sent you?” he asked.

“Spartacus. He’s sick and wanted me to check on you.” He shrugged as he strode into the room and pulled up a chair right by Nasir’s bed. Only then did he reach into his pocket. “He said you’d want this.”

Nasir only waited a moment, just enough time to register the small bag of potato chips as it was offered before snatching it up. Hunger for something other than hospital food drove him as he pried it open.

“You’ve won me over,” he said. “What’s your name?”

“Agron.”

“Agron?” Nasir repeated. What was his sister’s name, Boudicca? These people he’d run into...

Agron’s gaze turned harder. “Your name’s Nasir, you can’t talk.”

“Nasir is Arabic. What’s yours?” As soon as he finished, he took the opportunity to shove some chips into his mouth.

“It’s uh--” Agron glanced up at the ceiling as he searched his memory. “Illyrian. There was some king called Agron.”

“Illyria?”

“Some old country that got conquered by Rome.”

“And what did Agron do?” Nasir asked.

“All I can remember is he drank himself to death.”

“That’s a legacy to live up to.” Nasir’s voice was dry but then he smiled and Agron seemed to light up in response.

“Yeah, well.” He leaned closer to Nasir. “I’ll do my best.”

“Does that mean I should buy you a drink to help you achieve that goal?” Nasir smiled as best as he could manage.

“You could. Or I can buy you one.”

Shit, Nasir realized he’d actually started flirting with him. He’d blame the morphine.

“Can you get me a drink too?” The woman next to them asked.

“This might not be private but you’re supposed to pretend it is,” Nasir snapped.

He turned back to Agron. “Get me out of here and I’ll think about it.” He was actually being half serious. He wanted out. He needed out. The food alone was going to kill him.

Agron eyed everything that Nasir was hooked up to. “You’ll have to wait.”

“Yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of that.” Nasir’s voice held some bitterness. He wasn’t only talking about the hospital.

It then occurred to him that he’d neglected the junk food in favor of talking to Agron. So he let Agron take over the conversation and learned he wasn’t very good at it. Fortunately for him, it really didn’t matter who Nasir was talking to as long as he was talking to someone. But then, he wasn’t sure that was the reason he liked it.

 

Nasir hadn’t expected to keep his job. That would have been some form of miracle. But as he stumbled into his apartment, he knew that he was going to have to stretch the small safety net he’d built from his inheritance to keep him going until he recovered well enough to find employment.

“Take it slow,” Spartacus told him in what used to be an irritatingly calm voice but was now familiar.

“I know.”

It had been some time since he’d set foot here and it was more or less in the same condition. The cushions on his couch were a little more slumped in and Nasir didn’t help matters when he eased himself onto it, stretching out as much as he could while still giving Spartacus room to sit down with him.

“Thanks for housesitting,” he told his… well, he guessed after all this that Spartacus qualified as a friend. Who else would save his life then stick around for a month while inviting his friends to check in on him when he couldn’t?

“It’s no problem. I’m glad you didn’t have any plants.”

“No, I don’t have the time to keep them alive.”

“Or you don’t want to put in the effort.” Spartacus took a seat beside him.

“That too.” Nasir carefully touched the bandage over his chest, despite knowing better. He winced.

“Do you want to check it?”

“I’m alright.” Nasir drew his hand away from his injury.

“If you think it turns red, let me know. I got a cut here.” Spartacus gestured to his lower ribs. “It got infected. I’ll recognize it.”

“A cut?”

Spartacus gave him a smile. “You’re not the only one who’s had some wild days.”

Nasir laughed. “Then I’m in good company.”

 

It was some time before Nasir was allowed to have alcohol and longer still since he felt up to going out. So naturally, he chose to celebrate by meeting Spartacus and his friends at a club. Though Agron and another of their friends, Naevia, had spent enough time with him that he could call them his own friends as well. The rest he didn’t know.

“So here’s the little man.” This guy with long blond hair commented, grinning and with a drink already in hand.

Nasir’s lips twitched at the comment but it wasn’t to form a smile.

The others, a man not that much taller than himself but definitely broad and muscular-- who had to be Naevia’s boyfriend judging by their proximity-- and another dark haired man who was more tanned than Agron and the contrast was more evident with them next to each other.

“That’s Gannicus,” Spartacus told him. He gestured to the man beside Naevia. “Crixus and--”

“This is my brother, Duro.” Agron reached up to ruffle Duro’s hair, earning him a glare as his brother pushed him away and tried to smooth down his hair.

And people gave Nasir grief for having a weird name. But considering his own name was not weird to him, just not the standard John or Richard, he had no reason to question theirs.

“Where is Saxa?” Spartacus asked.

Nearly everyone turned to look at the bar. Nasir followed their eyes to see who he assumed to be Saxa chatting up a brunette.

“Of course,” Spartacus said.

They took their own seats at the bar, while giving Saxa a wide berth to accomplish her goal of taking some girl home for the night. Agron put his hand on Nasir’s shoulder and steered him to a seat next to them, with Duro on Nasir’s other side. Agron’s brother shot him a look that didn’t seem too pleased at that with the way his mouth was set.

“So you’re the reason my brother keeps running out on me.” Duro’s voice was stern.

“I haven’t been running out,” Agron protested.

Duro glared at him some more but Nasir held his gaze. After being stabbed, there wasn’t that much that could intimidate him. But then Duro smiled.

“You’ve given me a lot of free time to avoid this asshole.” Duro laughed and, despite the insult, so did Agron.

“I knew you’d like each other.” Agron grinned.

Remembering his own brother, Nasir felt a small twinge of jealousy at these two. Judging by fleeting look Duro sent his way after Agron’s comment, he had a hunch his feelings were shared.

 

Nasir wasn’t sure when it happened, even though it was far from gradual. Spartacus kept shoving Nasir at his friends and Agron joined in. At least with Naevia she invited him to places where it was just the two of them.

As Naevia kissed her boyfriend goodbye, Nasir noticed that for once Crixus wasn’t glaring at him.

“What was that?” he asked once they were going back to Nasir’s car.

“What?” Naevia asked.

“He didn’t look like he wanted to kill me.”

“Oh, he thought there was something going on between us,” Naevia clarified smoothly. “And then last night you mentioned--”

“Castus,” Nasir finished. “Yeah.”

“He sounds like an asshole.”

Nasir shrugged.

“When you mentioned how you lost your friends because of it, Agron looked like he wanted to murder someone too.” Was that a knowing look on her face?

“He is volatile.” Nasir dodged whatever she was implying, which just wasn’t true.

“Are you blushing?”

Nasir felt his cheeks flush a little more. It was pointless to deny it now. “Don’t tell Mira.” He knew what those two were like. Their relationship wasn’t that dissimilar to his and Naevia’s.

“Mira already knows.”

Nasir heaved a sigh. “Sometimes, you two drive me crazy.”

“No we don’t. We’re rooting for you, Nasir.”

Nasir forced a smile. Agron was great but getting into a relationship wasn’t exactly what he had in mind.

But then he thought of the way Agron’s cheeks dimpled when he smiled and thought that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

 

Unlike Naevia, Agron wasn’t in the habit of asking Nasir out-- to get together-- to hang out on their own. Spartacus and/or Duro usually accompanied them. Then they’d end up going back to Agron’s while Duro either tried to talk to some girl or went back to his room to crash. This time though, he was out.

Agron grabbed them a bottle of vodka. Not their usual ritual but it’d been a long day for both of them and it wasn’t a bad way to blow off steam every once in a while.

“You smile more when you’re drunk,” Agron commented. He propped his face on his hand and rested his elbow on the back of the couch.

“I bump into walls when I’m drunk, which is why I try not to drink too much.” Nasir nudged the bottle on the coffee table closer to Agron.

“Come on, that’s cute.”

“I’m not cute,” Nasir insisted.

“You’re not little either,” Agron responded dryly.

Nasir made a face and drank some more. Anyone else he would have snapped at. Agron had a free pass, which he was kind enough not to abuse too frequently.

“You’ve really calmed down since I met you.” Agron shot Nasir a smile.

“Have I?” Nasir asked, not particularly taken aback by the comment but a little puzzled as he mulled it over.

“Yeah, when you first saw me I thought you might leap out of bed and attack me like a wild dog.”

That made Nasir laugh. “I wasn’t that bad.” But then he shrugged. “I was pretty wild, wasn’t I?”

“You’d been through a lot.” Agron’s eyes were on Nasir and softening the longer he gazed at him.

“That’s true. But I have people who care about me now.”

Agron’s lips curled into a smile again as he leaned closer.

And then the door opened. “Agron, if all goes well I’m bringing a girl back tomorrow so--” Duro had just noticed the close proximity of his brother and Nasir and narrowed his eyes for a moment before going back to normal. “So I need you to disappear tomorrow night. Hey, Nasir.”

“Congratulations.” Nasir’s voice was a little wry and a little frustrated at the interruption of-- what? Had Agron actually been about to kiss him. Reason told him yes but the rest resisted.

“Fuck congratulations, he’ll blow it ten minutes into the date.”

“Or she’ll blow me. So we’re drinking tonight?”

Agron’s mouth tightened as he looked back to his brother. “No, we’re just holding some vodka, yes we’re drinking.”

Nasir had moved too far away from Agron and it was just enough for Duro to, somehow, get the idea to squeeze between them. Across from his brother, Agron gave Nasir a helpless look before cursing his brother out for violating his space.

Nasir drank as he watched the two brothers bickers but soon his eyes fixed on Agron.

Someday. Maybe someday.


End file.
